Double the track radius to get the 180 degree turn
Hello everyone,
I have been using Kato Unitrack for about a year. People who enjoy ultra realism will not be happy with any track that comes with its own road bed. The plastic roadbeds can probably be airbrushed. I have rearranged my track several times and the connections always seem tight. The turnouts are also very reliable. I have a little trouble with 2-8-4 Berkshire steam engine on just one of my twelve turnouts. None of my diesel locomotives have any problems on my road bed or turnouts.
Kato seems to have enough choices of track radii from 9-3/4 to 28-1/4, with several degree choices for each. This means that a radius of 9-3/4 inches requires 19-1/2 inches total to make the "U" turn. The 28-1/4 inch radius requires 56-1/2 inches to make the "U" turn. Kato also uses different degrees to form the curve. To make a right hand turn, you require 90 degrees. When Kato uses a 45 degree curve, it requires two curved pieces to make the turn. When Kato uses a 15 degree curve, it requires six curved pieces to make the right hand turn. A full circle using 15 degree curves require 24 pieces of track.
I hope this helps. I got a little sloppy in my calculations before my editing. This should be right. Paul